Going to New York City!

For years, I've wanted to move to New York City. When I was younger, I decided that I wanted to live in an interesting city. I had narrowed down the list to Las Vegas, New Orleans, Honolulu, and New York City. In the end, New York City won in just about every category, and now I'm going to live out my dream.

Jobs & Apartments, the hardest part of NYC

The first thing I have to do is get a job in the city. This is difficult because there are 8 million people competing for all of the jobs in only a 300 square mile radius. Not to mention the people who drive in from the Tri-State Area.

Luckily, I live way below my means, so the job I go after doesn't need to pay as much as I'm making here in Dallas. I have roughly estimated that I'll need $1400 for the smallest apartment I can find. If I bring in 35K, I should have enough to squeak by after taxes. I always plan for the worst case scenario.

Your Pay Check Results
Bi-weekly Gross Pay	$1,346.15
Federal Withholding	$153.46
Social Security	$83.46
Medicare	$19.52
New York	$58.57
NY SDI	$1.20
Net Pay	$1,029.94

Things to do in the Big Apple

I've been planning out some of the things I'll do once I get to the city.

Big Onion Walking Tours
A $15 walking tour with a history buff. I've been on three of these, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, and Upper West Side. They all rocked. When I get to New York City, I hope to do them all! update

Self-guided subway art tour
During my second visit to the city, I remember seeing and wondering about the subway art pieces. This website explains them all.

Take A Walk, New York!
Free, guided walks.

Toastmasters International
Toastmasters is a great way to meet people while polishing your communication and leadership skills - all for about $7 a month. I'll be looking for a strong club to join as soon as I arrive in the city.

Cultural NYC Walks
Another walking tour. NYC is the perfect place to go on tours like this.

The Tenement Museum
Find out how immigrants survived when upwards of 12 families were packed into one apartment!

Joyce Gold walking tours
Joyce does not only walking tours, but complete history courses. I just missed the last round, I'll have to keep an eye out for more.

Sell your car, you don't need it!

Public transportation in NY rocks! I remember hearing that many people don't even have driver's licenses in NYC, just the state issued ID card.

Getting around is accomplished by walking, taking the subway, riding the buses, and grabbing cabs.

Rent costs more in NYC, but I will most likely make up the difference in transportation savings. For someone living in Dallas, like me, it looks about like this:

	Dallas	New York
Apartment	$800	$1400
Car	$400	$0
Auto Insurance	$100	$0
Gas	$60	$0
Maintenance	$50	$0
Tolltag	$70	$0
Public Transportation	$0	$76
Total	$1480	$1476

Neighborhoods

A list of the neighborhoods in the city, as a starting point for research:

Astoria
Bronx
Brooklyn
Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill
Chelsea
Chinatown
East Village
Financial District
Flatiron District
Fort Greene
Gramercy Park
Greenwich Village
Harlem
Little Italy
Lower East Side
Meatpacking District
Midtown East
Midtown W/Hells Kitchen
Murray Hill
Park Slope
Queens
Soho
Times Square/Theater Dist
Tribeca
Union Square
Upper East Side
Upper West Side
West Village
Williamsburg

Before leaving...

I'm so excited about moving, that I decided as motivation to get my loose ends tied up, I wouldn't update or post my resume until I have a certain list of items complete. Once they're done, I'll have more money and a clear head to focus on the job hunt.

Loose ends

Been kicking butt! I've wrapped up some loose ends and have really tied them up tight (I did a thorough job).

Telling everyone I know about my plan to move has been helpful - a lot of people have good insight and tips.

I got on http://www.sublet.com and looked at some pricing. It turns out that my $1400 plan is on the low end, but thankfully still doable. There are currently 40 sublets available in Manhattan for right around $1400. It will be easy to find 1.

How to spell Manhattan

You often see Manhattan spelled wrong. A year or two ago, I ran across a nice--and simple--way to remember the spelling: think of a Man in a Hat with a Tan. ManHatTan. Manhattan.